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A new experiment

We kicked off Dinner Church as an experimental idea this year. And when Ty first suggested it last year, he was pretty hesitant because of the potential workload it may bring. But others praying were really taken by the idea, and

began moving immediately. So this new idea took off.

An ancient idea

The church has always had fellowship over meals. Abraham entertained strangers in Genesis 18, Jesus went to Matthew, the disciple’s house, for a meal on the day he began following Jesus . And Jesus even compares the Kingdom of God to a dinner party (Luke 14). Churches around the

world (especially outside the West) have done church like this for centuries, and it is slowly catching on over here.

An obvious pathway

It is an easy invite: come to dinner which has a worship element. Come to a church gathering which is informal. For us as a church, who in our DNA are here to connect with people who want a

conversation about Jesus but not a religious culture, this is an obvious pathway. We are still learning how to do Dinner Church, so a gathering like this is really important. Thanks for coming to

share your stories and hopes.

What is Dinner Church?​

It began when we moved locations

We moved from a non-churchy building into an actual church.

This was the first time in our history we had done this, and I

(Ty) was struggling with it. How can we be a church for the

non-churchy, I thought, if we are in a church building? What

message are we sending?


So we began praying about it, and felt like God was saying it

was ok to be in a church building on Sundays, as long as that

was not the whole picture of our church community. So then

the question became “what will we do to create a community

which is not tied to a church building, but spills out into the

homes, streets and families of our town?” This is pretty basic

Kingdom thinking, but it has to get practical. It has to.


We kicked around some ideas to try: cafe catch ups, prayer

walks, and Dinner Church. Of all of these Dinner Church

created the most excitement, so we gave it a go. And from the

moment it began it has exceeded our expectations. So here we

are asking God and His invested people, “Where to from

here?” Thanks for being one of those people who is invested

and cares for that question.


One of the main phrases I use at gatherings is "this is not a church dinner. It is dinner church." In simple terms, I am reminding us this is not a meal shared between people who already go to church together. This is a church gathering where there is a meal. Anyone is welcome, and you are especially welcome if you are not someone who goes to a traditional church gathering anywhere. We hope you might be able to find a home here.


As I write this, we are following the rhythm of having a Dinner Church gathering at the end of each month, often on a Saturday. 

That changes depending on the host and their schedule, so if you want to know some more or come along, email ty@churchonthehill.com.au or via the contact page.

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